LAUSR

The consumption of fresh produce and use of fresh herbs as flavoring agents in range of culinary preparation has increased in recent years due to consumer demand for a healthier lifestyle. Consumer preference for farmers’ markets and locally owned grocery stores have also grown in the U.S. in recent years. Most consumers perceive locally available produce to be a safer choice, but limited data is available. We evaluated microbiological quality, including aerobic plate count (APC), generic E. coli and total coliforms (TC), and human pathogens (Salmonella spp., E. coli O157: H7, and Shigella sonnei/Shigella spp.), of cilantro (n = 132), green onions (n = 131), jalapeno peppers (n = 129) and serrano peppers (n = 126) purchased from national chains, farmers’ markets and locally owned grocery stores in seven cities of the U.S. Of the 518 samples, enumerable populations of E. coli were found in one cilantro sample and three jalapeno samples, ranging from 1.18 to 2.42 log10 CFU/g. APC and TC ranged from 3.84 to 9.27 log10 CFU/g and from 0.84 to 5.84 log10 CFU/g, respectively. Overall, the APC of produce samples from national chains was lower than that from farmers’ markets and locally owned grocery stores (p < 0.05). Cilantro had a significantly highest APC among tested produce types (p < 0.05). Risk factor analysis indicated that national chain had significant lower APC populations than farmer’s market or local markets (p < 0.05) and cilantro had higher APC populations than the other three types of produce (p < 0.05). Risk factor analysis also showed that TC populations in green onions were significantly higher than those in serrano peppers (p < 0.05). No human pathogens (Salmonella spp., E. coli O157: H7, or Shigella sonnei/Shigella spp.) were detected in any of the tested produce samples. The high prevalence of TC and high APC counts highlight the importance of consumer vigilance and practice in handling fresh produce that is often consumed raw or used to garnish dishes.